Biophysical Society Bulletin | December 2025

Meetings

Biophysical Society Conference Membrane Fusion and Budding Estes Park, Colorado, USA October 5–10, 2025 The Biophysical Society Conference on Membrane Fusion and Budding took place in Estes Park, Colorado, chaired by Arun Anantharam (University of Toledo), Michelle Knowles (University of Denver), and Ling-Gang Wu (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health [NIH]). The conference focused on exocytosis and budding across vastly dif ferent systems, with exciting, cutting-edge science presentations ranging from organelle division in malarial parasites to exo- and endocytosis in diverse cell types to in vitro membrane fusion and endocytosis on supported lipid bilayers. To characterize these systems, state-of-the-art techniques were used and described; these ranged from molecular biology to cell biology, electrophys iology, super-resolution imaging, cryo-electron tomography, single-particle cryo-electron microscopy, and mathematical modeling. Speakers attending the meeting hailed from not only the United States, but also Germany, France, Spain, Canada, China, South Korea, Taiwan, and Australia. Initially, the conference boasted 98 scientists registered; however, just days before the meeting, 15 NIH-affiliated registrants, including one of the organizers, Wu,

had to cancel their travel plans because of the US Government shutdown. This resulted in several talks, and even an entire ses sion, being eliminated. Despite this, 52 invited talks, 9 short talks selected from submitted abstracts, and 24 poster presentations went on as scheduled. The conference offered ample time for informal discussion, potential collaboration, and socializing around the stunning beauty of Estes Lake, with herds of resident elk randomly walking by and hiking trails of the Rocky Mountain National Park within 10 minutes’ driving distance. Survey participants considered this meeting unique, of high-quality, and focused on fusion and budding, yet diverse across different systems; the meeting was welcoming, diverse, and intimate. Many attendees enthusiastical ly expressed their hope to attend this conference every two years. The organizers obtained sufficient funds to support the meeting from three sponsors. On the basis of this highly positive feedback, they propose to continue holding this meeting every two years. The organizers express their sincere gratitude to the sponsors of this conference for their generous support: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the Biophysical Society, and Leica. They express huge gratitude to BPS Staff Dorothy Chaconas , Erica Bellavia , and Ray Wolfe , who helped to secure the conference location and took care of all logistics.

December 2025

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